The Great Excavation

THE GREAT EXCAVATION

I started writing the rough draft of THE HOUR OF MY DEATH very soon after I was released from the cardiac ICU.  I went through six revisions, five before and one after it was accepted. After the book went into the publication process, I started a new collection of poetry, eventually titled LOVE AMONG THE TOMBSTONES. It went off to my agent a week and a half ago.

I was very driven to finish both manuscripts because I felt strongly that having died once, I could do it again at any time and wanted to get these two books out before that happened. I worked first on THE HOUR and then immediately went into the poetry collection. As a result, my office was a fucking mess. Papers everywhere, broken or un-put-together cat toys and just buried toys, books everywhere, etc.

Monday and most of Tuesday, we devoted to my office. We sorted papers, threw out most of them, filed the others. Nina was able to fix or put together 75% of the cat toys. The boys (Schwatrz and Shaman) had a wonderful time while this was going on, becaue of course, we had to test them to see if they worked. Nina is very clever and capable and got most of them running or usable. Then, above and beyond, she vacuumed.

The books either we put into the box for the library sale or, filed into my poetry bookshelves. A few beaten up books, we discarded.  I hate to throw away books. Now my office is in order and relatively clean and clear. For how long? Woody wanted to know.

We had time on Tuesday so we potted herb plants to bring inside for the winter [which will probably die anyhow]. Woody had to more clay pots in Orleans when he did the week’s shopping. We’ll repot the rest this coming week.

We will also move on to straightening some other neglected areas. I sort of just lay about the house yesterday, as my dizziness returned from the medical error that caused me to lose all of July. I’m dizzy when I move suddenly or lean over and also get into or out of bed or turn over. Vertigo is frightening and dangerous but this time around goes away much quicker after each spell. Usually, within in a minute. In spite of feeling dizzy I was actually able to sleep my last night. Both my bed cat Willow and I prefer side sleeping as we can cuddle best that way. 

I’ll freeze parsley tomorrow as the pot on the porch is too big to bring in – no place to put it – and it doesn’t work to try to dig parsley out of my herb garden. Parsley has a deep tap root. But I thought yesterday, that since I freeze cilantro and dill, so why not freeze parsley? It isn’t like fresh, but should work in cooking.